Mounting bracket and headrail assembly

ABSTRACT

A mounting bracket and headrail assembly for supporting an elongated member from which a plurality of valences may be suspended, and a method of using the mounting bracket and headrail assembly. The mounting bracket has a catch and resilient spring clip to securely receive a first leg of the headrail, leaving the second leg of the headrail exposed. The exposed second leg of the headrail obscures the first leg and mounting bracket from view, thereby avoiding the need to provide additional material to obscure unsightly hardware from view.

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is entitled to the benefit of the filing date of U.S.Provisional Application No. 60/436,279, filed Dec. 24, 2002, for allsubject matter commonly disclosed therein.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to hardware for mounting windowcoverings and, more particularly, to a mounting bracket and headrailthat cooperate with one another to support a window covering, such aswindow blinds, above a window.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

There have been many approaches to mounting window coverings,specifically Venetian-style window blinds, to the wall and/or ceilingabove a window. Popular mounting assemblies for these window blindsinclude a generally U-shaped headrail secured in some manner to amounting bracket that mounts to the wall and/or ceiling. While themanner in which the mounting bracket connected to the generally U-shapedheadrail differs among different approaches, there is a common thread.

In order to secure the headrail to the mounting bracket, there arealways at least two points of contact between the headrail and mountingbracket, with one of the points of contact located either at the end ofone of the legs of the generally U-shaped headrail, along that leg ofthe headrail, or at the base of that leg, and with the other point ofcontact located either at the end of the opposite leg of the generallyU-shaped headrail, along that opposite leg, or at the base of thatopposite leg.

Because the mounting bracket engaged at least a portion of both legs ofthe generally U-shaped headrail, the mounting bracket of suchconventional assemblies has to be at least as deep as the distanceseparating the two legs of the generally U-shaped headrail. In thosemounting assemblies in which the mounting bracket engages either the endof, or along, the leg of the headrail located furthest way from thewindow itself (i.e. the leg of the headrail that would be most visibleto any occupants of a room in which the assembly is located), thatportion of the mounting bracket is likely to be visible unless obscuredby some suitably aesthetic extension of the headrail or by additionalmaterial, such as an extra valence strip.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a mounting bracket made in accordancewith the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an end view of a head rail made in accordance with the presentinvention;

FIG. 3 is an end view taken from the opposite end of that shown in FIG.2, showing the engagement of the head rail shown in FIG. 2 and themounting bracket shown in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a mounting bracketmade in accordance with the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The mounting bracket and headrail assembly 10 of the present inventionadvantageously provides a mounting bracket 12 that engages only one legof a headrail 14 having a configuration specifically structured tocooperate with the mounting bracket 12. The headrail 14 has an integralshelf 16 provided along the region 18 of the headrail 14 between the twolegs 20, 22 of the headrail 14. In addition to engaging an end 24 of oneleg 20 of the headrail 14, the mounting bracket 12 engages an undercut26 provided by an overhanging lip 28 of the shelf 16.

The shelf 16 preferably extends along the entire length of the headrail14, which facilitates manufacture of the headrail 14 and alsofacilitates installation. The headrail 14 is preferably made ofaluminum. The two legs 20, 22 of the headrail 14 may each advantageouslyhave a curved profile. The legs 20, 22 also include return portions 30,32, respectively, projecting horizontally toward the opposite leg 22 or20, preferably extending the entire length of the headrail 14. Thereturn portions 30, 32 are co-planar, and provide ledges 34, 36 toreceive an elongated member (not shown) from which a set of valencesmaking up the window blinds depends.

The leg 20 closest to the mounting bracket 12 has an extension 38extending below the return portion 30. By extending the leg 20 below thereturn portion 30, a clearance is provided under the return portion 30such that the end 24 of the leg 20 can be engaged by a spring clipmember 42 of the mounting bracket 12, with a hook-like portion 43 at theend of the spring clip member 42 extending over the end 24 of the leg20.

The width of the headrail 14, i.e. the depth or maximum distance betweenthe legs 20, 22, is preferably significantly greater than the height ofthe headrail 14. In this manner, the headrail 14 has a short profilewhile still being of sufficient depth to accommodate the elongatedmember (not shown) from which the set of valences forming the windowblind depends.

The return portion 32 of the leg 22 on the side of the headrail 14farthest from the mounting bracket 12 may be provided with a verticalwall member 44 to provide a stop that prevents unwanted movement of theelongated member (not shown) received on the ledges 34, 36.

The legs 20, 22 are preferably of approximately equal height to oneanother, but the shelf 16 in the preferred embodiment is lower than thetop end 46 of the leg 22, and thus lower than a top flat panel portion48 extending between the shelf 16 and the top end 46 of the leg 22. Thisoff-set between the top flat panel portion 48 and the shelf 16 gives theheadrail 14 a stepped appearance.

The mounting bracket 12 is preferably made of a suitably strong andresilient material, such as zinc plated 0.032 spring steel, and includesa top plate 50 having fastener-receiving apertures 52, 54 therein forsecuring the mounting bracket 12 to a horizontal surface, such as aceiling (not shown), a wall plate 56, also provided withfastener-receiving apertures 58, 60, for securing the mounting bracket12 to a vertical surface, i.e. a wall (not shown). It is recognized thatin lieu of the two fastener-receiving apertures 52, 54 in the top plate50, which are shown in the drawings to be oblong, a single elongatedaperture (not shown) capable of accommodating more than one fastener maybe provided.

The wall plate 56 extends downwardly from a rear edge 62 of the topplate 50. An opposite or front edge 64 of the top plate 50 has acentrally-located catch 66, extending therefrom. The catch 66 includes avertical wall 68 and lip 70 at a lowermost end of the vertical wall 68.In order to mount the headrail 14 on the mounting bracket 12, the lip 70of the catch 66 is securely received in a channel 72 defined in part bythe overhanging lip 28 of the shelf 16.

In order to provide clearance between the shelf 16 of the headrail 14and the head(s) of the fastener(s) (not shown) used to secure themounting bracket 12 to a ceiling, as well as to provide clearancebetween the top flat panel portion 48 of the headrail 14, the top plate50 is preferably provided with sidewalls 74, 76 having a height greaterthan, or at least equal to, the distance between the top flat panelportion 48 and the shelf 16 of the headrail 14.

The spring clip member 42 of the mounting bracket 12 preferably has aninverted T-shaped body 78, bounded by slits 80, 82 between the invertedT-shaped body 78 and the wall plate 56. The slits 80, 82 preferablyextend past the corner 82 at which the wall plate 56 joins the top plate50, and extend partially along the top plate 50, as shown in FIG. 1.Thus, the spring clip member 42 separates the wall plate 56 into twosections, 56 a, 56 b. Alternatively, the slits 80, 82 may terminate atthe corner 84. As a further alternate, the slits 80,82 may extendsubstantially the height of the wall plate 56, but terminate short ofthe corner 84.

The inverted T-shaped body 78 has at its distal end 86 the hook-likeportion 43, which preferably includes an integral extension of thedistal end of the inverted T-shaped body 78 which extends at a rightangle to the distal end 84, and is folded over itself to form twoclosely-spaced flanges 88, 90 having a curved spine 92 along one endthereof. Material may be removed from the extension portion of theinverted T-shaped body 78 to form an aperture 94 in the flanges 88, 90.The curved spine 92 provides a smooth surface, which advantageouslyfacilitates hanging the end 40 of the leg 20 of the headrail 14 over thehook-like portion 43 of the mounting bracket 12.

In use, two or more of the mounting brackets 12 are mounted to a wall orceiling above a window. Next, the headrail 14 (preferably with theelongated member (not shown) from which the valences depend received onthe ledges 34, 36) is tilted, with the leg 20 facing the mountingbracket 12, so that the extension 38 is raised. The end 40 of the leg 20of the headrail 14 is then hanged over the hook-like portion 43 of themounting bracket 12. Next, the leg 22 of the headrail 14 is raisedtoward the mounting bracket 12. The resilient spring clip member 42allows the hook-like portion 43 of the mounting bracket 12 to bend awayfrom the catch 66 extending from the top plate 50 of the mountingbracket 12, until the lip 70 of the catch 66 is securely received in thechannel 72 defined in part by the overhanging lip 28 of the shelf 16.When this occurs, an audible snap may be heard.

Turning to FIG. 4, a second embodiment of the mounting bracket 112 isshown. In addition to those elements and features that the mountingbracket 112 of the *second embodiment has in common with the mountingbracket 12 of the first embodiment, which are indicated in FIG. 4 by thesame reference numbers, the mounting bracket 112 has raised sections,114, 116 in the top plate 50. Each of the raised sections 114, 116surrounds one of the fastener-receiving apertures 52, 54. Each of theraised sections 114, 116 defines a cavity 118, 120, which cavitiesadvantageously provide greater clearance over the shelf 16 of the headrail 14 in order to accommodate fasteners, such as mounting screws,having a head height greater than the distance between the shelf 16 andthe bottom of top plate 50.

While the present invention has been described with respect to a certainpreferred embodiment thereof, it will be appreciated by those ofordinary skill in the art that the invention is not limited thereto, andthat variations may be made thereto without departing from, and stillwithin the scope of, the appended claims.

1. A mounting bracket and headrail assembly comprising: a headrailhaving first and second legs and ledges for supporting a set ofvalences; a mounting bracket having a top plate mountable to asubstantially planar surface, the mounting bracket including a catchextending downwardly from a front side of the mounting bracket and aspring clip extending downwardly from a rear side of the mountingbracket to securably retain the first leg of the headrail to themounting bracket between the catch and the spring clip.
 2. The mountingbracket and headrail assembly of claim 1, wherein the catch of themounting bracket includes a vertical wall and a lip projecting from thevertical wall in a direction toward the rear side of the mountingbracket.
 3. The mounting bracket and headrail assembly of claim 2,wherein the headrail includes a shelf portion from which the first legdepends, the shelf portion including an overhanging lip defining anundercut which, when engaged with the mounting bracket, receives the lipprojecting from the vertical wall of the catch of the mounting bracket.4. The mounting bracket and headrail assembly of claim 3 wherein, whenengaged, the second leg of the headrail is exposed.
 5. The mountingbracket and headrail assembly of claim 3, wherein when engaged, thesecond leg of the headrail includes an exposed surface having a curvedprofile.
 6. The mounting bracket and headrail assembly of claim 5,wherein the mounting bracket includes at least a pair of apertures inthe top plate to secure the mounting bracket and headrail assembly to asubstantially planar surface.
 7. The mounting bracket and headrailassembly of claim 6, wherein the mounting bracket includes a raisedsection surrounding each of at least two of the apertures in the topplate of the mounting bracket, each of the raised sections defining arecessed region beneath the top plate to facilitate receiving a head ofa fastener above the mounting rail.
 8. A mounting bracket and headrailassembly comprising: a headrail having first and second legs, the firstleg being securably received in the mounting bracket between a springclip projecting downwardly from a rear side of the mounting clip and acatch projecting downwardly from a front side of the mounting clip, thesecond leg extending prominently of the catch such that the first legand the mounting bracket are obscured from view from a direction forwardof the assembly.
 9. The mounting bracket and headrail assembly of claim8, wherein the headrail includes a first ledge extending forwardly fromthe first leg and a second ledge extending rearwardly from the secondleg, whereby a plurality of valences may be suspended from an elongatedmember supported by the first and second ledges.
 10. The mountingbracket and headrail assembly of claim 9, further including a wallmember between the second ledge and the second leg, the wall memberextending upward relative to the second ledge, whereby forward movementof an elongated member supported by the first and second ledges islimited.
 11. A method of using a mounting bracket and headrail assemblyto enable support of an elongated member from which a plurality ofwindow valences may be suspended, comprising: mounting two or moremounting brackets, each mounting bracket having a mountable top platewith at least one fastener-receiving aperture therein, a catch extendingdownwardly from a front side of the mounting bracket, and a spring clipextending downwardly from a rear side of the mounting bracket, to aplanar surface; tilting a headrail having a first leg, a second leg, afirst ledge projecting forwardly from the first leg, a second ledgeprojecting rearwardly from the second leg, with the first leg raisedrelative to the second leg; hanging the first leg of the headrail overthe spring clip of the mounting bracket; and raising the second leg ofthe headrail toward the mounting bracket until the first leg of theheadrail is securely bounded by the catch and the spring clip.
 12. Themethod of claim 11, the catch of the mounting bracket including avertical wall and a lip projecting from the vertical wall in a directiontoward a rear side of the mounting bracket, and the headrail including ashelf portion from which the first leg depends, and the shelf portionincluding an overhanging lip defining an undercut, and wherein, inraising the second leg of the headrail toward the mounting bracket untilthe first leg of the headrail is securely bounded by the catch and thespring clip, the second leg of the headrail is raised until the lip ofthe catch of the mounting bracket is securely received in the channeldefined in the undercut defined by the overhanging lip of the headrail.